In a recent opinion piece for The New York Times, Distinguished Scholar Dr. Jeremi Suri and Andrew Thompson, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran and former student, argue that the U.S.'s detention policies in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion of Iraq helped to create the current crises in Iraq and Syria. In the piece, "How America Helped ISIS," Suri and Thompson explain that the use of large detention facilities that group together violent radicals and moderate detainees in the same space, "only create the seeds for further radicalization and violence."

In a new post for Foreign Policy's Shadow Government blog, Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and Clements Center Director William Inboden argues that the U.S. needs a new foreign policy agenda to replace the current strategy, which he holds is not only ineffective but has also contributed to a more unstable international system. The article, the second in a four part series, follows an initial post by Inboden explaining why the challenges and threats presented by a more dangerous world require rethinking U.S. foreign policy.

On Tuesday, September 30th, a delegation of foreign officials from the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program gathered at the LBJ School of Public Affairs to meet with Strauss Center Associate Director Ashley Moran. The delegation, which consisted of six officials from Kazakhstan, met with Ms. Moran to discuss a variety of international issues.

This week Distinguished Scholar Alan Kuperman was featured on BBC's Newshour, discussing how the lessons of what he considers the failed intervention in Libya can provide insight into the current situation in Iraq and Syria. According to Kuperman, the first lesson is that "interventions can actually make things worse." Instead of encouraging a quick and peaceful resolution, interventions can extend the length and heighten the violence of conflicts. Secondly, foreign interventions can sometimes work against U.S. national interests.

This week, Distinguished Scholar Dr. Joshua Eisenman published an article in Foreign Affairs, "Closed Door Policy," which analyzes China's increasing hostility toward international firms operating within its territory. Some of Beijing's punative actions toward foreign firms include costly fines, denying mergers, refusing applications for licenses, and detaining and deporting managers—all of which have contributed to a 14 percent fall in foreign direct investment in China over the past year.